When You Wish Upon a Star
by YellowTrumpets
Summary: If the mountain won't come to Mohammed...Next chapter up: Kairi and AVALANCHE try to save a Soul, Puck is a lech, and everyone learns a little more about each other. CidSher, SoKairi, TiRu
1. Wishing on a Star

Disclaimer: Don't Own 'em, Squaresoft, Disney, and Buena Vista do. I just borrow them and make Wakka philosophize. Yay!

…

When You Wish Upon A Star

…

She never saw him.

Every day, Kairi would go out to the beach, paopu in hand, and would watch the tides come in. She would watch for him. For Sora.

But she never saw him.

He promised. He _promised_. He was coming back. He'd be back and then everything would be as it once was. Maybe he'd find Riku, too, although with all that had happened, Kairi couldn't see how the three of them could ever mend their friendship. In any case, Sora was coming home to her, he had to.

_But what if he didn't?_

Kairi sighed. That niggling little voice in her mind was her most constant companion these days. Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus were far too busy dealing with their newfound hormones to spend their time sitting on a beach with a moody girl with a tendency to talk to herself. It seemed that Tidus had become infatuated with Selphie, but she had eyes for Wakka, and was making no attempts to hide that fact from either of them. Wakka was put in the uncomfortable position where he would hurt one of his friends regardless of what he did.

The same position Sora must have been in.

Kairi smiled; it was funny how the spiky-haired boy seemed to sneak his way into her thoughts even when she didn't want him to. She couldn't wait until he got back as she thought he'd get a real kick out of Wakka's predicament.

_Couldn't wait until he got back._

_Why was she just waiting?_

Kairi knew the answer to that question. She couldn't go after Sora; she had no way of leaving the island. Even if she did, where would she begin to look? Not to mention the dangers that still existed on the unconnected worlds.

_So that's it, huh? You're afraid?_

She was _not_ afraid. She was just being realistic. There were just too many obstacles in between Sora and herself.

_Hmph. Never stopped you before…_

Kairi felt a strong urge to hit herself in the head with the pointy end of the paopu she held in her hand. _Shuttup shuttup shuttup_, she told herself firmly. _Sane people don't have arguments with themselves._

_And yet here you are…_came the little voice. Kairi rolled her eyes and took a bite of her paopu. The sweet taste made her eyes fill up with tears.

"Sora," she murmured, looking at the horizon, as if staring hard enough to give herself a headache would suddenly make him appear. He couldn't be here to share the fruit with her, so she'd just have to eat his share and wish he were beside her, goofing off.

Her train of thought was interrupted when she was suddenly hit by a blitzball, hard enough to make her fall over.

"Kairi!" hollered Wakka, running to her side and helping her up. "I'm so sorry! You not hurt or anything? You okay, yah?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kairi responded. "No harm done."

Wakka looked relieved. "That's good. Guess my aim needs a little bit more work, yah?"

Kairi giggled. "No no, I think it's perfect!"

He chuckled along with her, and soon they were both laughing, neither really knowing why. Kairi liked Wakka. He was the only one on the island who could act as if nothing had happened when their island had collapsed.

Wakka grew more serious. "Ya still lookin' for him?"

Kairi sighed. "Mmm-hmmm."

There was silence between the two. "You know, he's going to come back one day," Kairi said, finally breaking the silence.

Wakka nodded sagely. "And when he do, you gonna be the first one ta' see him, yah?"

Kairi grinned. She had known Wakka would understand. Wakka stared at Kairi for a few minutes before broaching a delicate subject.

"Or, ya could try goin' after him yourself," he said, rather tentatively. As much as Wakka valued Kairi's friendship and would miss her if she left, he also knew she'd never be happy until she was with Sora, whether he came to her or she came to him.

"You know that's impossible, Wakka."

"What is it they say? 'Where there's a will, there's a way'? Ya know, Kairi, this universe is a funny place. Seems like whoever got the strongest heart pretty much can do anyt'ing. Works for Sora, yah? Well, lemme tell ya, you got a pretty strong heart too, Kairi. So, if you wanna see Sora, then do it. And don't let anybody tell ya that ya can't."

Kairi looked up at the sky, up at Sora, she liked to think. "You really- you really think it's possible?"

"Only if you want it bad enough."

Kairi blinked back tears, putting on a rather watery smile. "Oh, I do, believe me, I do. Thanks Wakka, I really needed the pep talk."

"Anytime, kiddo. Anytime."

They sat in companionable silence, each lost in his or her own thoughts. After a few minutes, Kairi turned to the boy. "Wakka?"

"Yah?"

"When did you get so smart?"

Wakka flashed her his trademark lazy grin, the one that made Selphie blush and giggle when it was directed her way, and said, "You're not the only one who needs to sit and think sometimes, ya know."

Kairi accepted that answer. Suddenly the two of them heard a loud "Hmph!". Kairi turned around to see a pouting Selphie, obviously wondering what Kairi was doing with her "boyfriend". The red-haired girl turned to Wakka.

"You should go. You don't want her to get mad at us."

Wakka looked up at the disgruntled girl, still holding her jumprope, nose in the air.

"Ya know," he grumbled, "she keep doing that, her face is gonna freeze like that."

Kairi smirked as her friend got up and dusted off his blitzball. He took one last look at her.

"Think about what I said, Kairi," he said with a serious look in his eye. "You can do that, yah?"

Kairi gave him a thumbs-up. "Yah," she said, imitating the older boy's accent. He grinned and ran off, no doubt to appease the tiny ball of fury that was Selphie.

Kairi picked the half-eaten paopu up off the sand. She looked at Sora's half of the fruit and suddenly wished that she could go and find him.

She wished, and she wised, and her eyes picked out a star. A special star. She wished with all her might on that star for the chance to go to Sora.

Suddenly there was a bright light, and Kairi saw her island dissolve around her.

The islanders saw a bright light surround Kairi before she faded away. Selphie shrieked. The girl pulled on Wakka's arm. "C'mon Wakka, we gotta help her!"

But Wakka just smiled and said, "She'll be all right." _At least, I pray she will. Good luck, Kairi._

All Kairi could see was bright, searing light. Then her eyes began to make out a form. It was a woman, with…wings? She was wearing a flowing blue dress, and her eyes were as old as the sky. She smiled at Kairi.

"I will grant your wish," the strange woman said kindly, "But it will not be easy for you. You must prove that you are brave, truthful, and of a loving heart before you can be reunited with the one you seek."

_Wait,_ Kairi's mind said, _Brave? Truthful? Loving? How the heck am I supposed to **prove** that?_

"Do you accept this challenge?"

Kairi took a deep breath and thought of Sora. "I do," she said, trying not to notice how small and weak her voice sounded.

The woman smiled again, and waved her hand. Then everything went dark.

…

Kairi heard voices, strange voices.

"Do you think she's concussed?" A smooth voice, like an old movie actor's or something.

"I sho' hope not, foo!" A big voice, booming and fierce.

"What do we do if she doesn't wake up?" This voice was female, young and proud.

"Calm down, everyone." Kairi liked that voice. It was female as well, but calm and soothing, like her mother's might have been, if she remembered her mother.

"I think she's coming around." Kairi imagined this speaker would be a boy around Riku's age, or a bit older. He still had some squeakiness in his voice. She opened her eyes.

And found herself face-to-face with a goblin.

Kairi did the only natural thing a girl in her position could do.

She screamed.

…

To be continued…

…

A/N: Hahaaa…just like me to leave you there…just to let you know, Final Fantasy VII fans should be on Cloud 9 here. Get it? _Cloud_ 9? Haha. I kill me. But yeah, it's a madhouse. And Gargoyles fans too. This is a part of a series that includes my other stories Years and A Time Before Nightfall. So read read read.


	2. Enter AVALANCHE

Chapter Two: Of Tea, Sunglasses, and Things That Are **Not** Goblins

…

Kairi screamed, and the goblin in front of her backed away. He- it held up its hands in a gesture of peace. "Whoa whoa! Hold on!"

Kairi paused; she was out of breath, and saw she was lying on a bed, surrounded by people. A light-haired man to her left grumbled, "Maybe having Lex here in the room was a bad idea." His voice was the smooth, charming one she had first heard.

The goblin sighed. "Sorry about the fright," it said to her. "Guess you've never seen a gargoyle before."

" Gasp gasp No, g-guess not," Kairi responded, surprised that she was able to form words. _So it's a 'gargoyle'? Aren't those, like, drainspouts?_

"My name's Lexington," it- he said to her, holding out a taloned hand to her. _To shake,_ she supposed. The irony didn't escape her. _And they say manners are dead._

Cautiously, she shook the green gargoyle's hand. He broke into a friendly smile that made his strange visage look almost human. Kairi found herself grinning back. So, she had made a friend. She looked around the small room she was in, at the group of strangers who all seemed very concerned for her wellbeing. "Where am I?" she asked. "And who are all of you? And how did I get here?"

A large black man standing behind the man with the charming voice laughed, a resounding boom. "So many questions!" he chuckled. "How 'bout you jest answer somma ours first?"

"Uh- okay…"

A girl with long black hair leaned in. "First off, what's your name, kiddo?"

"Kairi. Kairi…just Kairi." It was sometimes embarrassing being an amnesiac. Not having a last name occasionally raised questions with new acquaintances, but these folks seemed to accept her response.

"All right, Just Kairi. Where are you from?"

"The Destiny Islands."

They all exchanged puzzled glances. Kairi wondered what that meant. Was she so far away from home that no one had ever heard of her islands?

"Hmmm…," the brunette mused. "Can you tell us how you got here?"

Kairi's cheeks flushed. "Actually, I was kinda hoping you guys could tell me. The last thing I remember is wishing on a star and.."

"Your dream came true," several voices chorused.

"Well, kinda, I guess."

Kairi was looking around for the woman with the soothing voice, but the only people in the room were her, the voice man, the big black man, the girl, Lexington, and a bald man who was wearing sunglasses indoors for some reason.

She was about to ask about the woman when the door burst open and a small man with elf ears and white hair _flew_ in.

"Well, how's our patient?" the little man asked, his voice sly and nasal. His unbelievably blue eyes seemed to be looking into her very soul, so Kairi looked away.

"Very well," the strange girl said. "Her name's Kairi."

"Did I miss anything?" said a voice from the doorway, the calm voice Kairi had heard while drifting into consciousness. A pretty brown-haired woman stepped into the small room, carrying a tray with a teakettle and several teacups perched neatly on top.

"'Course not," said the big man. "Jest waitin' for you so we can begin the introducting."

"The word is 'introducing', Professor," the elf smirked.

"Shuttup befo' I pop yo' head, foo'!" said the large fellow, inching closer to the elf, fist raised. The calm woman sighed.

"That's enough, boys," she said tiredly. "You're disturbing my patient. Why don't you two begin the introductions?"

The big man grinned wolfishly at Kairi. "My name's Barrett Wallace. Quiet fella wif da shades is Rude. Not that he ain't polite or nothin', that's just his name. And this lil' idiot is Puck."

The elf twirled in the air before executing a complicated bow. "Finest trickster of the Third Race at your service, little missie."

"And I'm Rufus," said the light-haired man in his impossibly wonderful voice. He gave Kairi a dazzling smile and she felt her cheeks heat up. "Just Rufus."

"Tifa Lockhart," said the black-haired girl, shaking Kairi's hand. "Nice to meet you."

Lex grinned at her. "You already know who I am," he said. He gestured to two people who had just stepped into the room, a girl Kairi's age with short dark hair and a pink female gargoyle. The human girl gave her a critical look, then seemed to decide that Kairi posed no threat.

"Marlene Wallace," she said. "Barrett's my dad."

Kairi smiled. It would be nice to have someone her own age around. The female gargoyle shuffled her feet uncertainly. "My name is- well, I mean, my name was- I mean- I'm…Rinoa Heartilly."

"Nice to meet you, Rinoa," Kairi said, wondering why Rinoa seemed so nervous.

The calm woman poured Kairi a cup of tea and handed it to her. "My name's Shera," she said, adjusting her eyeglasses. "Shera Leonhart."

Kairi drank the hot lemony tea, feeling strength return to her arms and legs. _Leonhart…._she thought. _Where have I heard that name before? And her face…I've seen it somewhere._

"How did I get here?" she asked Shera, instinctively trusting this woman.

"Well, to be honest," Shera said, "We're not sure. You were falling out of the sky and Lex caught you before you hit anything."

Kairi smiled at the green gargoyle. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Lex gave her a bashful grin. "No problemo," he said. "It's kinda what I do."

"Guys?" Shera asked. "Do you all mind? I'd like to answer Kairi's questions, but I think having such a large crowd isn't so good for her after her ordeal."

"Okay, Sher," Barrett rumbled, striding from the room, pulling Puck with him by the collar of the fey's garish tunic. Tifa followed him, as did Lex, Marlene, and silent Rude. Rufus looked at Kairi one more time, as if he were trying to recall something, before shrugging and walking out, stopping at the door for a quick bow and a "Ladies."

Kairi watched the procession in wonder. Never in her life had she seen a stranger assortment of people. Shera noticed her wide-eyed astonishment and raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting folk, aren't they?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yes, very," Kairi answered. Suddenly, a question came to mind

"But…where are we, Shera?"

"This is Paris. We're actually in the Cathedral of Notre Dame."

Kairi scrunched up her nose. "Paris? Is this where you all are from?"

Shera gave her a small smile, one that didn't reach her sad eyes. "No, actually. Puck and Lexington are from a city-world called Manhattan, and the rest of us are from a world called-" she took a deep breath to calm her quavering voice, "-a world called the Bastion."

Kairi sucked in her breath. _Could she mean the **Hollow** Bastion?_

Kairi didn't have many memories of the time she had spent in that broken world, as she was without her heart for most of that time. Other than her Islands, the only world she was truly familiar with was Traverse Town, and grumpy old Cid.

A tear stung her eye at the thought of the man who had looked after her the whole time Sora was fighting Ansem. He acted so gruff, but Kairi could see right through that front he had put up. No one else could see that Cid was in such great pain. Kairi realized that his heart was hurting so badly over something he had lost long ago that he couldn't let anybody else in. She had comforted him with words and kind actions, and in return, he made sure no human or Heartless gave her any trouble.

They were eating dinner when Sora sealed Kingdom Hearts. Kairi remembered that she was in the middle of a sentence when Cid vanished and she was with Sora. She never even got to say goodbye, or to thank him for being the father figure she had needed at the time.

Shera noticed her pensive expression. "Munny for your thoughts?"

Kairi gulped. "Nothing, just- just wondering how you all ended up here. And why does Rinoa look like Lex if she's from- from your world?"

Shera gave her that almost-smile again and explained. "Well, we used to travel the World Routes, searching for other survivors from our world. Then, we ended up in Manhattan, where we, well, we met some new people and we found a new mission-"

"Mission?"

"Mission, but more about that later, perhaps. Well, we gained some members, Lex and Puck, and we went about our mission. We had just landed here when the World Routes disappeared, so now we're kind of stuck here until we can find a way out."

"And you really need to find a way out? I mean, now that the Heartless are gone, whatever mission you all are on, I mean, you don't really need it, right?"

Shera shook her head slowly. "I wish that were the case, but the universe is not out of danger yet. The Keyblade Master may have delayed the spread of the darkness, but-"

Kairi sat up straight. "Sor- The Keyblade Master saved the universe! How can you say he did a bad job?"

Shera patted her shoulder. "Now, now, don't overexert yourself," she said soothingly, "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sure the Keyblade Master did a fine job. All I'm saying is that his job isn't done, and we're here to help him out."

Kairi looked into Shera's eyes, a warm brown under her thick glasses. "You think that the worlds could fall to darkness again?"

"I don't know what I think. I only know what I know. And I know," Shera murmured grimly, "That darkness is very, very resilient."

Her face looked so haunted, so suddenly tired, that Kairi didn't pursue the matter any further. "And Rinoa?" she asked, changing the subject. "Why is she…?"

"A gargoyle? Well, soon after we picked up Lex and Puck in Manhattan and began our mission, Rinoa was transformed into a gargoyle. We're not sure how, and we haven't found a way to turn her back to the way she was before. It's been over two years, so Rinoa's slowly coming to grips with the fact that she might be a gargoyle forever. And Lex is helping her out."

"Oh. And your mission? What is it?"

Shera looked down at her hands. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? It'll help you get back your strength. You don't have anywhere else to go, do you?"

Kairi felt a surge of fear. "Please! Let me stay with you all! I have no where else to go, I'm all alone here, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Shera…"

_Good job,_ smirked the little voice in the back of her head. _Maybe if you_ _blubber like a complete baby they'll have pity on you._

Shera saw her distress. She flung her arms around Kairi in a comforting hug. "Hey now, don't worry," she whispered. "You'll stay with us. Somebody sent you here and I can only assume you're meant to be a part of our lives."

Kairi leaned into the embrace. After the day she had had, it was nice to feel like somebody understood. Shera quietly stood up, gathering the teakettle and Kairi's now empty cup.

"Get some rest," she said. "It's nearly midnight, you need to sleep. We'll sort everything out tomorrow."

Shera walked out, pulling the door silently shut behind her. Kairi snuggled down into the bed and closed her eyes.

She dreamed about white sands and cobbled streets at the same time, about gruff old men with broken hearts and friends who could be unexpectedly wise, about new friends and old, about sad brown eyes and dazzling smiles, about the past, and about the future.

But mostly, she dreamed about Sora. Where was he? Why was Kairi sent here, and not with Sora?

She dreamed about tomorrow, when all of her questions, she hoped, would be answered.

…

A/N: Enter….my AVALANCHE! Now, to get background information, go and read my fic "Years". It's a one-shot, it's relatively painless, and it's very informative. Oh, and it has CidSher in it! And Vincent. Read it for Vincent, if nothing else. And review, please. We live on reviews around here.


	3. Questions, Questions

A/N: Chapta Three, what what! This is the longest relationship I've had with anything…heehee. Many thanks to my first two reviewers, **carbuncle **and **Princess Kairi** (See? I CAN write Good Kairi!)…

…

In Which Many are Confused until Much is Explained

…

Kairi opened her eyes, surprise her mother had not come and woken her up already. It had to be noon at least, by the way the sun was streaming in the window above her bed.

_Wait,_ her mind said, _my bed doesn't have a window above it…_

Fully awake now, Kairi looked around. _Where…?_

In a flash, the events of the previous day came rushing back into her brain. Wakka, the wish she made on a star, the strange blue woman, waking up here and meeting all those people, -

_Hey, where are all those people?_

Kairi stumbled out of the warm bed, unsteadily slipping on her shoes, which were halfway under the bed. She stuck her head out of the door, looking about for somebody, anybody. Nobody was there.

Taking a right, she walked down the stone hallway. This, this cathedral was enormous. Old too, by the looks of the thick cobbled floors and walls. Hearing voices, she followed the sound up a steep staircase.

"Hello?"

She found herself in a loft, with low ceilings and long windows. Someone was sitting, hunched over, in a corner, talking to him- or herself. Kairi approached cautiously.

"Hello?"

The figure started, and drew back. "Please, don't be- don't be afraid," it said. Closer, Kairi saw reddish hair and a green jerkin, but she still couldn't see his face. He sounded far more frightened than Kairi currently felt.

"Afraid of what?" she asked. The figure slowly straightened, as much as it could.

"This."

Kairi bit back a gasp. This person was short and burly, with long arms that dragged on the floor. He had an enormous hump on one shoulder, and his face was disfigured. Never in her short life had she seen someone like that.

Seeing her shock, the man turned to go. "I'm sorry I frighten you," he said sadly.

Kairi regained her voice. "No! Don't go. I'm sorry I reacted like that."

The man looked at her with kind dark eyes. "You mean that?"

Kairi attempted a smile. It wasn't his fault he looked like that. "'Course I do. My name's Kairi, what's yours?"

"My name is Quasimodo," the man said, still wary. Kairi held out one slender hand. Quasimodo looked at it as if he had no idea what she was doing. Kairi sighed, and grabbed his huge hand, shaking it with as firm a grip as she could manage.

"It's nice to meet you, Quasimodo. And I mean that."

Quasimodo offered Kairi an uncertain smile. She returned it with a face-stretching grin.

"Hey theere, Quasi! Who're you talkin' to?"

Kairi jumped, looking around for the source of the loud and unfamiliar voice. She felt something tug on the bottom of her skirt.

"Hey, down here, toots."

The speaker seemed to be a gargoyle, except that he was living, breathing stone. And he had no legs. He burped noisily and a second "gargoyle" thumped over and hit him upside the head. "Really, Hugo," the second one sniffed. "We are clearly in the presence of a guest. Do try to control your bodily functions for the time being."

A third gargoyle-thing, one that bore some resemblance to an old woman, stomped between them. "C'mon boys," she drawled. "Let's all be friends, now."

Kairi gaped. "What are you?"

Quasi gave her a quick glance. "You can see them?"

"Yeah…can't everybody?"

The three statues shared a grin. "Only those folks with nothin' but love in their hearts," said the woman-thing. "Name's Laverne, hun. Short gross one is Hugo and the tall stiff is Victor. Don't worry, Vic's a real softie underneath all that propriety. Hugo, well, let's just say what you see is what you get."

Kairi waved to them. "What are all of you doing up here?"

Quasi smiled sadly. "Hiding."

Laverne snorted. "Don't try to sell me that crap, Quasi-me-boy. You don't need to hide from nobody anymore."

Victor nodded his agreement. "Indeed, my friend. We have a special task here, young lady, and that is to protect our sleeping friends." He gestured with one stone hand to the window.

Where Lexington and Rinoa were frozen in stone. Kairi gasped. "Oh, no! Lex, Rinoa, they were fine last night! What's wrong with them?"

Hugo snickered. "Don' worry, chica. They sleep in stone all day long, then at night, they come alive. They're gargoyles, s'what they do."

Kairi was puzzled. "Then what are you three?"

"Gargoyles," Hugo answered, most unhelpfully. Laverne shot her companion a withering glare. "We're different kinds of gargoyles, you see," she said. "We figure it's because they're from a different world."

Kairi supposed that made sense. After all, there were no gargoyles, period, on her world. Who was she to say there was only one kind? "And you all watch over them? They must be really grateful."

"They would be rather so, I imagine, if only they were capable of seeing us," Victor stated.

"You mean they can't see you? Well, who can, then?"

Hugo laughed. "The big fella', Barrett, that quiet one, Rude, and the woman, Shera. Vic's got the hots for her."

Victor's grainy complexion reddened. "I most certainly do not!"

"Ya do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do NOT!"

"Do too do too do too times infinity!"

"Do too times infinity what?" Shera asked, climbing into the loft. She grinned. "Well, I see our new member has met our gracious hosts. Hi there Quasi, Laverne, Hugo and Vic."

Quasi smiled. Laverne waved and Hugo grunted. Vic turned even redder and offered a squeaky "Good day."

"New member?" Kairi asked. "Of what? Does that mean I get to stay?"

"Of course it does," Shera said. "We discussed it all after you went to sleep. We'd like you to come down stairs so we can answer some of your questions. Quasi, would you like to come too?"

Quasi shook his head. "I'll stay here, and look after Lex and Rinoa."

"Suit yourself. This way, Kairi."

…

Shera led Kairi into another small room on the ground floor of the cathedral. All of the humans she had met last night were sitting in chairs or on cushions in front of an empty fireplace. Puck was zooming around the ceiling, making everyone complain of dizziness and throw said cushions at him.

There was one more person standing in a corner of a room, a man in golden armor. He was tall, blonde, and muscular, a real "hunk", as Selphie would say. He was stroking his short blond goatee and looking at Kairi with piercing blue eyes. Kairi thought he reminded her of Cid. He had the same pain in his eyes and posture, like he had lost something he needed to live. Shera put a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"Phoebus, this is Kairi. Kairi, this is Captain Phoebus. He's been assisting us since we've been here."

He nodded at the girl. Kairi smiled nervously at him. Rufus pulled over a chair and gestured for her to sit. His eyes twinkled. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he said.

Shera clapped her hands together several times, and the chatter ceased. "Now, we all know why we're here," she said. "Except perhaps Kairi, that is. We are here to explain to her AVALANCHE's mission and invite her to join us on our journey, wherever that might lead us."

Phoebus frowned. "How can you be sure she's not a spy? Even if she isn't one, how can you be sure she can handle the responsibilities? She's just a kid. It's to much to ask her to understand your- _our_ mission."

"Oh, I think she will understand better than even you, Captain," said a new voice, a slightly throaty woman's voice. There was a flash of green, and a woman the same color appeared. Her hair was long and the color of the inside of a watermelon. She was wearing very skimpy clothing, and she radiated power and majesty. Puck stopped flying around the ceiling and knelt before her. "My lady," he smirked, "how _fantastic_ that you've decided to _honor_ us with your presence."

"Curb your tongue, young Robin," the woman said evenly. She smiled at Kairi. "Greetings, Princess of Heart," she said. "I am Titania, Queen of Avalon, First Lady of the Fae, and Mother of Oberon's Children."

"Titania gave us our mission," explained Shera. "My lady, what do you mean, 'Princess of Heart'? Do you mean Kairi is one of _them_?"

"Not only one of them, Shera Lion's Heart, she is the one true Princess of Heart, saved from the darkness to aid in your quest."

"Sora saved me," Kairi replied stubbornly. _What is everyone talking about? And why is Rufus looking at me like that?_

Rufus came closer. "So you _are_ the Princess from the Bastion's heart. I am- well, I was, Crown Prince of the Bastion before the fall."

Kairi looked at Rufus carefully. _So they are from the Bastion. He does kinda look like a prince…_She turned her attention upon Titania again.

"Why am I here?"

"Why? Whyever not, child? My sister the Blue Fairy knew you would be needed here. Fate had decreed that you would be the one to help these warriors to rescue the Guardian Souls."

"Guardian _WHAT_?"

"Guardian Souls," Shera explained. "When we arrived in Manhattan three years ago, we saved a woman named Elisa Maza from the Darkness."

"From the Heartless?"

"We don't know what they are. Anyway, Queen Titania told us the Elisa was one of the Guardian Souls. They are women with special hearts, like the Princesses of Pure Heart, except that these women are the protectors of their worlds' souls. Without them, the Darkness could not only destroy a world, but they could take the world's heart and turn it against the very people who lived there. We took Puck and Lex and left Puck's other half, Owen, to look after Elisa."

"My less interesting half," Puck commented drolly, turning somersaults in the air.

"Hmm," Shera agreed. "And then we saved two other Souls, Mulan and Princess Kida. Tow of our members, Tseng and Elena, stayed in China to watch over Mulan, and another member, Reno, found a sweetheart on Atlantis and he stayed there, protecting the Princess from the Darkness. And then we came here, but we were too late to save this world's Soul."

"My Esmeralda," whispered Phoebus. Kairi suddenly understood why he was so sad. He had lost his love. Another thought occurred_. If Cid was like Phoebus, had he lost a love to the Heartless as well?_

Kairi was having trouble dealing with all of this information. "What, exactly, am I supposed to do, here?"

Titania flashed her a smile, kind of a Mona Lisa smile, and said, "You will learn eventually. I could tell you, but my sister doesn't want me to make your job too easy for you. Mab knows Pinocchio's wasn't."

She turned to everyone else. "I bid you all farewell. Puck, behave yourself." And just like that, she vanished. Barrett cleared his throat.

"Well, I dunno 'bout you, but those fairy types sho' give me the heebie-jeebies," he shuddered. Puck smiled slyly at him. "Really now, big boy?"

Barrett swiped at the fey's head with one massive hand. "Yeah, like you, you lil' creep!"

Shera smiled, and turned to Kairi. "So, are you in? We would sure enjoy having you around. It gets depressing around us sometimes, so you can cheer us up."

Kairi gave a defeated grin. "Guess I have no choice, huh?"

Tifa leaned in. "I'd say not. It's never a good idea to argue with Fate."

Well, in for a penny… 

Kairi showed them all a thumbs-up. "I'm in."

Shera said, "Wonderful." Then she looked out the door, to the street outside. A man in lurid jester's clothing was rushing their way.

"Clopin," Shera said, concern on her face. "What is it?"

The man stopped to take a breather, running a hand over his long features. "Problem! The skies, the skies, the- the skies are open again!"

Shock was evident in the faces of everyone in the room. Kairi turned to Shera. "What does he mean?"

Shera sat down, hand gripping the back of her chair so hard that her knuckles had turned white.

"The worlds- the worlds are connected," she whispered.

…

A/N: Wow. It's over and done with. And didn't take me as long as the other ones. But hey! Titania, right? Cool? And Kairi is slowly piecing together the Cid/Shera puzzle. FFVII fans already know this. Here's a character guide for those who are unfamiliar with FF7 or Gargoyles:

Shera: She lived with Cid after preventing the launch of his rocket. It's been debated, but the Cid/Vin fans aside, most believe the two had feelings for each other. She makes a lot of tea, and is pretty mild.

Barrett: Big, black, beautiful founding member of the FF7 team AVALANCHE. Looks like Mr. T, so I make him talk like Mr. T

Rufus: Son of the evil President Shinra. Leader of the Turks, technically a bad guy, but I likes him, so there.

Reno, Tseng, Elena: Turks, or Rufus's goons. I like them too.

Rude: Turk. Wears sunglasses everywhere.

Tifa: Cloud's childhood friend, loves him, has a large busom and a short skirt.

Rinoa: From FF8, Squall's girfriend. Don't really know that much about her, she's just there.

Lex: From Gargoyles. Techie Garg, feels occasionally left out because of his small size, always striving to prove himself.

Puck: White-haired fey trickster, has another half in the form of mortal Owen Burnett. I separated them because I like to.

Titania: Fae queen, married a mortal and had a daughter and then divorced her husband. Awfully cryptic.

Phoebus, Quasi, Hugo, Victor, Laverne, Esmeralda, Clopin: Hunchback of Notre Dame characters. Clopin serves no purpose, but I like him so he has a gratuitous cameo.

That should be about it! Review please, makes updates faster. **Princess Kairi** gave me a warm and fuzzy review, so I cranked out a chapter for her! Thanks so much! I and my Owen-muse thank you!

Owen-muse: Indeed.


	4. Ships and Hunchbacks and Gypsies Oh My!

A/N: Wow. I'm onna roll here…Finished the last chapter about three hours ago and now here I sit cranking out another…Read Read Read and tell your friends. We like it when you read…

…

So, You Do Know Where We're Going, Right?

…

Kairi was stunned. _The worlds are connected again? Wait, what does that mean? Does it mean I can find Sora? _

_Does it mean more worlds are dying?_

Shera made an attempt to steady herself. Tifa was doing no such thing. "My god," she murmured, "It's happening. It's happening again!"

Rufus put his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay, Teef," he said. "We knew this had to happen. We knew something had to happen to open up the doors so we could accomplish our mission."

"Don't make it any easier," grumbled Barrett. "Now what?"

The team looked at each other in confusion. All at once everyone started talking. The din was awful. Kairi couldn't even think with all the noise. The chatter escalated into arguments, and soon Barrett and Puck were spatting, the latter floating several inches over the large man's head. Rufus was trying in vain to calm the emotional Tifa, and Marlene was yelling at all of them to just shut up. Rude and Phoebus just stood there. The blond man's face was frozen in stony anger. Rude's expression was impossible to read.

Suddenly there was a loud crash. Shera was standing up, clutching at the remains of a busted teacup. Her face was set.

"If you all are completely finished," she said, voice quiet and taut, "I will tell you what we will do. We're going to leave here. Wait," she said, holding up a hand to silence Phoebus, "I know this world needs protecting. Believe me, I would rather die than see another one of my homes lost to the Darkness. But if we stay here and defend this world, none of it will matter. If we don't succeed in our mission, nothing anyone, even the Keyblade Master, does will make any difference in the outcome of this war. And yes, gentlemen.

We are at war."

Kairi looked at Shera, seeing the quiet steel underneath the soft exterior, understanding why everyone in AVALANCHE respected Shera and deferred to her. _ She may not want to be a hero, but she's doing a great job of it._

Phoebus straightened, looking Shera in the eye. "And what about this? What about all of these people, the townspeople, those gypsies you are so fond of? What about Quasimodo?"

Shera stared him down. "I am expecting you to protect them to the best of your abilities. Train them, make an army out of them. These people are willing to fight for their lives, for their children, if only you will teach them how."

Her voice turned into a pleading whisper, and it was obvious how much Shera hated having to take command, how much she hated this war. "Please, Phoebus," she murmured. "I will try my hardest to bring her back to you. Please believe me when I say that I have been through what you are going through now. But you can't let the pain paralyze you. I did, and my fear cost me the only friend I had in the wilderness. Please, Phoebus. Take care of these people."

Phoebus gripped his friend's shoulder. Shera looked close to tears. Kairi felt the urge to go up and hug her, but she hung back.

"I will do all I can," the armored man said.

"Good," said Shera, businesslike again. "We leave at nightfall. That gives us, what, two or three hours to pack, do some last-minute checks on the system, and say our good-byes."

"I'll start the system checks. Jest gonna need Lex ta okay 'em when he wakes up," Barrett said, stomping out. Marlene trotted behind him. "I'll help, dad!"

"We'll start packing," Rufus said, steering Tifa out of the room by her shoulders. Rude followed them wordlessly. Puck floated over to where Kairi stood behind Shera and Phoebus. He looked at the girl.

"I figure I'd best find out all I can about her Highness, no?"

Kairi eyed the elf suspiciously. Shera smiled. "It's alright," she said. "He just wants to see if you have any magical aura connected to your role as Princess of Pure Heart. Won't hurt a bit."

"Where will you be?" Kairi asked.

"I suppose I'll go down to the town with Phoebus and start organizing the people. You're welcome to come down after you finish with Puck."

"All right."

Shera and Phoebus turned to go, but not until Shera took Puck by the collar. "No funny business, Robin Goodfellow," Shera said, gently but steadily. Puck grinned. "Not so much as a single hex, babe."

"Good." Shera and Phoebus walked out into the sunshine. The gypsy man who had come to warn them and had subsequently collapsed- _is his name Chopin? No, Clopin-_ came over to Kairi. He looked at her. "You are one of us, no?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kairi said. _Is this guy crazy?_

He just grinned. "You have _rom_ eyes. Gypsy eyes. You are one of us, milady. A child of the wind. Clopin can see these things."

With that, he cartwheeled out of the room. Puck watched him go. "Lord, what fools these mortals be," the fae mumbled, "Seeing signs everywhere." But he looked thoughtful, more thoughtful than Kairi had seem him be in the past day.

"Now," Puck said, playful nature restored with the blink of an eye, "Shall we begin?"

…

An hour later, Kairi was walking down the street towards a crowd of people, no doubt thronging around Phoebus and Shera as they gave orders. Puck had cast a number of spells intended to measure magical potential, and he was puzzled. "Frankly, kid, it doesn't make sense," the frustrated fairy had said. "You got something here, no missing it, but _what_ it is- now that, I'm not sure."

He had finally given up and gone to hassle Barrett, who was still checking over their ship, the _Interceptor._ Kairi had gone to find Shera, as well as to see a bit of this world, Paris, before they left.

She caught a glimpse of garish fabric, and turned to see Clopin, who was standing with a group of people dressed like him. All with bright green or blue eyes. Kairi supposed that these were the gypsies Phoebus was talking about. They looked like the sort of people who lived every moment like it was their last, who really knew how to live, singing and dancing the whole time. Clopin saw her and waved comically. Kairi giggled. She walked over to where Shera and Phoebus were trying to explain something to a passel of angry bakers. Kairi stopped close to Shera, noticing that the oddly dressed gypsy had followed her.

"Shera," she said, tugging on the woman's blue jacket sleeve. Shera turned around, motioning for Phoebus to pacify the bakers, who were now waving their rolling pins around rather menacingly.

"Yes, Kairi. What is it?"

"Puck says I have some kind of magic."

Shera smiled, and said, "I thought as much. What kind of magic?"

"He doesn't know what kind. Says it's really bugging him."

Clopin swerved around Kairi to bow to Shera. "But of course the little elf doesn't know! He is looking for that spark of the fae, that tiny bit of divinity that magic _gorgios _possess. This one, she is not of your kind, noble leader. Her magic is of the wind, of the gypsy, of course!"

"Hmmm," Shera said, turning her soft brown gaze on Kairi's eyes. "Yes, I see what you mean, Clopin…"

"What? But I'm- I'm not gypsy! I'm from the Hollow Bastion!" Kairi blurted out, without thinking. Shera froze, and looked at her. Kairi was confused. _She knows who I am…why is she surprised?_

"Shera!"

They all turned to see Phoebus. He was pointing at the sky. There was a beautiful sunset, if one could ignore the gigantic tear in the sky and the stars falling. Shera nodded.

"Say good-bye, Kairi."

Kairi turned to Clopin, turned to the gypsies, and said, "I don't know you, but it seems like I should. I'll try and come back after all this is over so we can sort this whole magic deal out. Good-bye then."

All the gypsies saluted her in some fashion, kissing their fingertips and placing them first on their foreheads, then on their hearts. Clopin winked at her.

"You will come back someday, ma petite," he said. "You are _rom_ at heart, and so you will. Au revoir."

Kairi waved at Phoebus and gave him a huge smile. She saw Shera give the man a friendly hug, and kiss Clopin on the cheek. He leered at her, and engaged her in a dramatic liplock. When the gypsy released her, Shera smiled and smacked his arm. She ran up to join Kairi.

"Let's go. Lex and Rinoa should wake up in a few minutes." They ran up the steps to the cathedral and quickly made their way up to the loft. Quasi was still there with his three companions. The rest of AVALANCHE had also assembled there.

"I never get tired of seeing this," Shera told Kairi.

As soon as the last ray of sun had disappeared, the sleeping forms of Rinoa and Lex began to crack. With matching roars and glowing eyes, the gargoyles _burst_ out of their stone skin. Kairi was shocked and amazed. Lex and Rinoa hopped down from their perches. "Hey, Kairi," Lex said. He turned to Shera. "What's up?"

"Sky's open. Worlds are reconnected. We're leaving in five."

Kairi turned her neck so quickly it cracked. _Wait…did Rude actually speak?_

Lex was surprised as well, it seemed. "Uh…okay."

Quasimodo and his friends lumbered forward. "We're going to miss you guys," he said, trying not to cry. "All of us."

Kairi suddenly flung her arms around Quasi's neck in a hug and kissed his cheek. "Take care of yourself, Quasimodo," she said. Then she sat down to hug Hugo, Laverne, and Victor, who looked like he was trying not to cry as well. "Take care."

"You too, hun," grinned Laverne. Kairi looked around at the confused faces of her new teammates. _I must look awfully silly, talking to people that less than half of us can see._

"It's time," boomed Barrett, moving for the ladder that was suspended from the ceiling.

They all climbed up the ladder. Kairi found herself on the roof of the highest building she had ever seen. The wind blew hard, whipping her skirt around her legs, as she surveyed the _Interceptor._

It wasn't a gummi ship; in fact, it looked like a pirate ship, with sails and everything. "But wait, how can you?"

"Magic, m'dear," said Puck, floating beside her. "It's not hard. Before they met me, they were using a gummi ship, but it was a piece of crap so, let's just say, it's an improvement."

"All aboard!" hollered Barrett. Kairi looked back at the city of Paris one last time before walking the gangplank up to the ship. She settled on a bench on deck.

Everyone was rushing around, save Puck, making ready to launch. The ship lurched, then rose up. Kairi looked down, seeing all the people, gypsies, and her strange friends watching them go. She waved to all of them. The Interceptor flew smoothly out the tear in the sky, towards the diminishing field of stars. Kairi wondered which star was the one she had wished on yesterday. Was it only a day ago? It felt like months since she had seen her island. And now she was voyaging out of the great beyond.

_Okay…where next?_

A/N: Wow. Two chapters in one day. Up next: The plot thickens. Kairi learns more about her traveling companions than she really wanted to, and I've sprinkled some RuTi(Rufus/Tifa) ness in there to meet the demands of my sister, who is my harshest critic, and adores Rufus.


	5. Never Wonder What They're Worth Part One

A/N: Long chapter, and I mean long…trying to figure out if I like shorter or longer chapters. This one's good! And the large sections in italics are flashback scenes from Kairi's POV. The chapter title is from the lyrics to "Colors of the Wind."

…

Never Wonder What They're Worth- Part 1

…

Kairi stood by the edge of the _Interceptor, _looking out at the sea of stars and space that was flying past her. She had ridden in a gummi ship on the way from the Hollow Bastion back to Traverse Town, but this was _definitely_ something else entirely. It felt like she could reach out and touch the stars themselves.

They'd been traveling for three weeks, searching for the next Guardian Soul that was in danger. In that time, Kairi had pieced together parts of her companions' histories based on what she had seen and heard.

Puck had sat down and told her all about his history. Kairi figured he just liked hearing the sound of his own voice. He was a Trickster under Oberon, King of the Third Race. Fairies, that is. He had taken the mortal guise of Owen Burnett, manservant, because "it sounded like fun." He turned against Oberon to save the child of his mortal employer and was condemned to stay in Owen's mortal form. However, Owen began to form an individual personality and the two were forcefully separated to keep them from going mad. Then, when AVALANCHE was given their mission, he went along to provide magical backup.

The rest of her new friends were a bit more mysterious. Rufus had been a Prince, Marlene was adopted, Kairi had learned, and Tifa was still pining over some guy name Cloud. _Funny name for a guy…_

Rufus had feelings for Tifa, she thought. He was always there for her, helping her out, cheering her up, but she didn't seem to notice. Lexington and Rinoa were starting a tentative relationship, based on all they had in common, but both of them were uncomfortable with talking about it with anyone else, and nobody asked.

Kairi sighed as she felt a slight breeze brush her cheek. Her she was, having her won adventure. She could be a hero, like…

_Sora._

Someone approached and stood next to Kairi, leaning out. "Munny for your thoughts?" Shera said.

Kairi sighed. There was so much she had to work out. "Shera, have you ever missed someone so much it hurts?"

Shera smiled that sad smile, the one that never reached her eyes, and said, "Yes, I have to say I have. Who is he, Kairi?"

Kairi flushed. _She's good. She's really good. _"What makes you think..?"

"That it's a boy that's got you so upset? Let's just say I know the symptoms. What is he like?"

"Sora? Well, he's my best friend, he's funny, and brave as anybody. He's the Keyblade Master, and I'm trying to find him. Do you think that's bad, that I have my own personal agenda? I mean, I still want to help you guys, too, it's not that, but, you know, I just want to find him."

Shera laughed. "Don't worry, Kairi. Everyone has their own personal reason why they are in this group, and you're not the only one who's doing this for someone they love."

_Love? Did she say love?_

Kairi was suddenly reminded of a conversation she had had with crabby old Cid one day in Traverse Town.

"_Cid?"_

"_Mmm?"_

"_What's it like to be in love with somebody?"_

"_You and Sora, hmm?"_

"_Wh-what? Me and..**Sora**?"_

"Chh..yeah, kid, seems purty clear you got it bad for the little runt…" 

"_I don't know anything about that, and maybe that's why I'm asking you. I figured you'd know what it was like."_

"_Hmmm, now what's it like to be in love. Well, don't tell anybody I told you this, 'cuz I got a reputation to maintain, but when you're in love, it's like nothin' else matters. It's like you can't eat or sleep, but you don't want to, cuz you got this person on the brain, and this person is the prettiest, or handsomest as it may be, smartest, funniest person in the world. And when you're in a room full of people, the only person you see is them."_

"_Cid?"_

"_Mmm?"_

"_Have you ever been in love?"_

"_Once. She was a sweet girl, dunno why she put up with me. But that was a long time ago, and I don't wanna talk about it. Why don't you go and make us some dinner, eh? Make yourself useful, or somethin'."_

Kairi grinned. She missed that grumpy old bear. She turned to Shera, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Who are you fighting for, Shera?"

Shera closed her eyes. "I'm searching for someone. A young man- well, he wouldn't be so young anymore, none of us are. I loved him, you know, Kairi, I really did. And then our world was taken over by the Heartless and we were separated. But I'm still looking for him, kind of like how you are looking for your Keyblade Master."

Shera strolled off down the deck of the ship and disappeared below deck. Kairi watched her go. _ It's strange. She was in love with somebody a long time ago, just like Cid. Maybe…nah. Not possible. I mean, the two of them don't seem like they'd have a whole lot in common. And how would I find out? It's not exactly polite to walk up to a person and say, "Hey, were you in love with Cid once?"_

_But they were both from the Hollow Bastion…_

_Hmph…maybe I should try and get us to Traverse Town. Some of them at least have to know Cid…_

_Bleh. Stupid mission…_

…

Kairi was rudely awakened in the middle of the night by a commotion above deck. She sat up, and promptly bumped her head on the low top of her bunk. _ The Interceptor may be more comfortable than a gummi ship, _she thought_, but it's still no luxury cruise-liner. _

Kairi stomped out of the cabin she shared with Marlene and headed up the small ladder to above deck. Everyone was running around, getting ready for something. Kairi grabbed Puck's arm as he sped past. "Puck, what's going on here?"

"No time, chica," the fae huffed. "We're about to be planetside. According to Titania, our next soul's sitting pretty on that world." He pointed. Kairi saw a blue and green world; one that looked untouched by the darkness that consumed so many other worlds.

"It's pretty," she said. Puck grinned. "Yeah, and with any luck, it'll be us that keep it that way."

"Less talkin', small fries!" hollered Barrett. "Less talkin', mo' workin'!"

…

"Pocahontas! Pocahontas, where _are_ you?" Nakoma sighed. Her friend was, yet again, nowhere to be found. She was most likely visiting her _tree_ again, or sneaking into the English camp. Since John Smith had been sent back to England, where he could better recover from his gunshot wound, things had been better between the natives and the explorers, but Powhatan was still attempting to control his daughter's frequent visits to the camp.

Needless to say, his attempts were, for the most part, in vain. Pocahontas still made frequent trips to the encampment to visit Thomas and to inquire as to John's condition and whereabouts.

And now that Nakoma needed the chief's daughter, she was, of course, out of hearing range. Nakoma sighed again, and headed off in the direction of the English camp.

She found Pocahontas in deep conversation with Thomas, while poring over some maps. They had been working on a project for several weeks now. Nakoma didn't understand all of what they were doing, but some of it involved mapping out the land that the tribe lived on.

"Pocahontas," Nakoma said, nodding to her and offering a small wave to the young Englishman.

"Yes, Nakoma, what is it?"

"Your father and Kekata wish to speak with you. Kekata has had another vision."

"What?" Pocahontas asked. "What could this mean? Thomas, I am sorry, but I must go. Kekata would not summon me unless it was something important."

Thomas nodded. "It's alright, Pocahontas. We can finish this tomorrow. It's no problem."

Pocahontas nodded, and followed Nakoma back to her father's home. Kekata was sitting in the middle of the floor, white hair waving in a slight breeze. The elder looked up a Pocahontas with eyes that were sharp in his wrinkled face. "Come here, Pocahontas," he said.

She approached Kekata and sat down next to him. The old man took her hands in his. "My child, I have had a vision. I saw your destiny. You are the rarest of heart in this world. There are those who come from the darkness, and I have seen that they will try to extinguish the light you have brought to our people. But I have also seen others. These…strangers from another world, they will come to save you. And to save the world."

Powhatan stood next to them, silent and stony-faced. The last thing he wanted was for more strangers to walk their land. The chieftain had had enough trouble with the first batch of foreigners. But, if they were destined to come and save his daughter, than he would allow them. After all, he had sworn he would never begin another conflict like the one they had suffered before.

But would he have a choice?

Powhatan was troubled by these thoughts, but he had no more time to dwell upon them, as a man rushed into his tent. It was that young Englishman. The one with the stupid hat.

"Thomas?" Pocahontas rose and went over to the pale figure. His face was filled with fear. "What is it, Thomas?"

"Something- dunno what it is- is attacking the camp. We'd- we'd already lost two men when I left, and they just…they disappeared. These- shadows, they're blasting everything. You all need to get out of here, now."

Kekata stood up before Powhatan. "They have come, the evil ones are here now." His worn face was tired. Powhatan felt his chest constrict. These shadows, they were coming for his daughter, his Pocahontas. And they would not rest until they had her. Running would do no good.

"We stand and fight," the chieftain announced. Thomas's jaw fell open. "But- sir, no disrespect or anything," the youth stuttered, "But you can't defeat them. We have muskets, cannons, weapons far more advanced than yours and these creatures are slaughtering us one by one! What do you think you can do against them?"

Powhatan chose not to reply to the boy. He looked down at his daughter, still kneeling on the ground. She did not seem to be afraid. If anything, she seemed fiercer and more passionate than she normally was. Powhatan could have laughed, in any other situation. Here was Pocahontas, braver than any of her father's warriors. Braver than even her father. She truly did have her mother's spirit.

"We stand and fight," Powhatan said again, his eyes not leaving his daughter's face. "We stand and fight, not to win, but to protect our heart. We must hold off the darkness until the strange warriors our elder has spoken of come and defeat this threat. But we will not bend to the darkness. Whether we survive or not, we shall make this battle one that will be sung about for many years. But my daughter must not fight, young Thomas. You must take her from here, and my warriors and I will try to keep the creatures from you."

Pocahontas stood up, tossing her long hair. "Father!"

Powhatan shook his head. "I will not hear you, daughter. You must not be involve in this battle." His voice softened, and he took his daughter's face in his hands, peering into her eyes, so much like his own. "I know you are brave, but your safety is more important than anything, for if anything should happen to you, our world is doomed. Promise me, my daughter. Promise me you will stay with Thomas and out of danger."

Pocahontas frowned, but nodded. "Yes, father. I promise."

Thomas's face had started to return to its normal shade. He bowed to both the chief and the elder, and took Pocahontas by the arm. "C'mon, we need to be out of here, and fast. It'll only be a matter of time before they come here."

Powhatan kissed his daughter's forehead, and Kekata placed both of his hands on her face, whispering prayers to keep her safe. The two young people hurried from the tent. As he watched her go, Powhatan tried not to think that he may have just seen his Pocahontas for the last time.

Nakoma was standing outside when she saw Pocahontas and the Englishman rushing into the forest in the opposite direction of the pale men's camp. The Chieftain soon came out of his tent and motioned to her. "Nakoma, you must take the elders and the children away from here. Take them to the cliffs, to the south. Do whatever you can to protect them."

Nakoma blinked in confusion, but the urgency of the Chieftain's voice and the sternness of his gaze made her nod once and head over to where the elders were watching the children of the tribe. As she led them to the south quickly and quietly, Powhatan turned around to Kekata. "Shouldn't you go with them, Elder?"

The ancient man smiled mysteriously and shook his head. "No, I believe I will stay here. I feel perhaps I will be needed."

Powhatan knew better than to argue. Kekata had his reasons for everything he did, and he had never been wrong yet.

"Very well." Powhatan left the old man waiting outside his tent as the Chieftain went to summon his warriors.

Meanwhile, Thomas and Pocahontas were silently running through the forest. The young man turned to look at his companion. "Know anywhere safe we can go?"

She thought about his question. "I do not know for sure," Pocahontas finally responded. "Perhaps…perhaps we could go to Grandmother Willow."

Thomas knew all about the tree. John had told him stories, but he just couldn't believe them. _ Though, with the morning I've had, I'd believe anything. Even talking trees._

"Do you think we'd be safe there?"

Pocahontas frowned. "All I know is that Grandmother Willow has her own way of _dealing_ with intruders."

Thomas sighed. "All right."

Pocahontas gripped Thomas's hand tighter and led the way.

…

_It's gonna be nice to be on solid ground again_, mused Kairi as the ship entered the fragile atmosphere of the world. _The Interceptor_ was nice, but nothing compared to a real world.

Someone leaned against the bulwark next to her, and Kairi found herself face-to-stomach with Barrett. The big man grinned at her, resting his arm on the wood. Kairi still had a hard time believing that one of Barrett's arms was fake, a prosthetic attached when a crazed monkey had bitten off one of his. The story itself was crazy, plus his arm looked just like the other one. Apparently Puck cast a spell on it to disguise it.

"Whatchoo lookin' at?" he asked her. Kairi smiled up at Marlene's dad. "Nothin'," she said. "Just…this world is so pretty."

Barrett's grin became a little sadder. "Yeah, it is, ain't it? Sometimes I think that I say that every time I see a new world. 'Prettiest thing I eva did see.' And then, sometimes it stays pretty, and sometimes…well, you know."

Kairi nodded. _I do know._ Kairi saw an opportunity to glean the answer to some questions that had been bothering her. "Barrett? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sho', kiddo. Go ahead."

"Why is Shera always so sad?"

Barrett cleared his throat and looked out at the approaching planet surface. "Well, Red," he said, using the nickname Puck had come up with two weeks ago, "It ain't really my story ta tell, but since you asked, I'll tell ya what I know.

"Time was when we all lived on our world, inna place called Bastion Town. Rufus was a prince, Rude was on da guard, like me, and Tifa was justa kid. I used ta be friends with her momma. Anyway, Shera was a few years older than you are now, maybe 18 or 19, and she was sweet on a fella a coupla years younger than me. Her daddy wasn't too keen on that."

"Why? Was it the age difference?"

Barrett shook his head. "Nah, it was a kinda class thing. He was an engineer, her daddy was a Baron, an' apparently this young fella just wasn't good enough for Shera, the way the Baron looked at it. But Shera, she really loved him, more'n anything, and he loved her too. 'Course, he'd never admit it, but you could tell. And the two of them were seein' each other in secret, and this went on for about a year. And then the Heartless came."

Kairi nodded. She knew what was coming next.

Barret gulped. "And the Heartless came, and everything was getting' destroyed, and the two of them, they got separated, is what Shera told me. An' she- well, she never found him. I figure he's gotta be dead, or Heartless-sucked, or somethin', but Shera, she don't want to believe that. It's been ten years since then, and since then I can't say I've really seen her smile."

Kairi looked at her feet. Shera's situation sounded very much like hers was right now, what with Sora being god-only-knows-where. _Except that she's been alone for ten years. Sora won't be gone for ten years. _

_Right?_

"Barrett?"

"Mm?"

"What was his name, the one Shera was in love with?"

"Him? Well, don't know why you're so interested, but his name was Cid. Cid Highwind."

_I knew it!_

Kairi suddenly figured out where she had seen Shera before, back in Traverse Town.

"_Cid?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Who's this girl in the picture? I found it when I was cleaning."_

_Cid saw what Kairi had in her hand and took the frame from her. "Hmm, haven't looked at this in months…"_

"_She's awful pretty. And is that you? You look so, so…"_

"_Young? I was. And so was she."_

"_Is she the one you were in love with?"_

"_I said I don't wanna talk about it."_

"_Oh…okay then, I'll just put that back then."_

_Cid kept the picture in his hand. "Nah, I'll hold on to this for a while."_

"_Fine with me."_

The picture had been of a handsome young blond man, smiling as he put his arms around a teenage girl. The girl had brown hair and was wearing a yellow dress.

And she had big brown eyes behind her glasses.

…

_The Interceptor_ hit the planet surface about twenty minutes later, in a grassy cliff surrounded by trees. It only took them that long, Lex had complained, because 'there were too many stupid freaking trees on this stupid freaking planet'. This was minutes before he turned to stone, as did Rinoa. Apparently the physiology of the gargoyles depended on the time of day on whatever planet they were on. In space, they remained in flesh form constantly and slept like everyone else.

As they exited the ship, Kairi couldn't meet Shera's eyes. She wanted to tell the woman everything, that she knew about Shera and Cid's relationship, that Cid was alive, and that Kairi knew where to find him. But she couldn't for some reason. That would mean admitting that she had been prying into Shera's past. _Maybe if Shera someday told me her story herself, then I could help her_, Kairi thought. _ But how can I expect her to do this when I haven't been honest about my whole past? I haven't told anyone about my time in Traverse Town. Maybe after we save this world…_

_If we can._

_Maybe I should tell the first chance I get._

"Look!" Marlene hollered, pointing to the forest ahead of them. A group of women, children, and elderly people were walking out of the forest, lead by a woman with short dark hair. All of them were dressed in brown leather. They stopped upon seeing the newcomers, and the adults pulled the children behind them, bracing for an attack. Shera motioned to Kairi. "Can you help here?" she whispered. "Go up to them, _slowly._ Try to make them understand that we mean no harm. They won't hurt you because you're young. Take Marle with you."

Kairi nodded, as did Marlene, and the two of them crept forward. "Hello?" Kairi softly called. "We won't hurt you. We're here to save you."

The woman at the front relaxed slightly, but her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kairi, and this," she said, pointing to Marle, "is Marlene, and the people behind us are a team called AVALANCHE. We save people."

The woman nodded. "I am called Nakoma. Our people are under attack, so I have been ordered to keep the elders and children safe while our men fight."

The rest of the team approached cautiously, and Nakoma tolerated this. Kairi was about to ask some more questions when one of the older women shrieked, gesturing wildly behind her. Kairi saw something that looked like a Heartless emerge from the trees. The one problem was, she only saw its shadow, like it was detached form its body in the same way Sora's was once. The people panicked, and Kairi saw more shadows show themselves. Shera took command. "Nakoma, get these people behind us!" she shouted. "AVALANCHE! Forward!"

Nakoma started to corral the people, the women picking up the squalling children, and Kairi watched, frozen in place, as her teammates rushed towards the shadows. Barrett's synthetic arm inverted into some kind of cannon, and he easily dispatched one shadow with a quick shot to what would equate to being the head. Marlene grabbed Kairi's arm and dragged her back to the ship, where the native people were huddled. Kairi distantly noticed, as her attention was focused on the battle. Barrett was now besieged by three huge shadows at once, and Kairi heard Marlene gasp audibly. Suddenly a flashing green light struck one of his enemies, and Barrett handled the other two. Puck was flying around, curing his companions and unleashing the occasional green blast at their enemies, who seemed to keep coming. Tifa was delivering quick kicks to the shadows, knocking them down so that Rufus could finish them off with a few quick swipes with a regal-looking sword. Kairi noticed that they worked well as a team. Silent Rude cast some spells, but as his enemies came closer, he relied on the bo staff he usually strapped to his back to take out two or three shadows with the grace of a dancer, oddly enough. That man was full of surprises. As was Shera, it seemed, as she would leap to a distance and take care of her attackers with a quick one-handed crossbow bolt. Within minutes, the shadows were vanquished, and Kairi was left with a newfound sense of respect for the people she was now in the company of.

AVALANCHE regrouped at the ship, where Nakoma was waiting. "Thank you," the woman said. "I do not know how to thank you."

Puck leered at her. "Oh, I'm sure _I_ can think of something _appropriate_, toots."

This time it was Marlene who reached out and flicked Puck's ear. The fae yelped, and glared at her. "Being a pain in the ass must run in the family," he muttered.

Shera ignored him. "Is that what you were running from?" she asked. Nakoma shrugged. "I do not know," she said. "Our Chieftain told me to take the elders and children to the cliffs while he assembled our warriors. I can only suppose that they are now engaged in battle with these things."

Shera took a few minutes to think. The silence was making Kairi nervous. _Is this what they do at every world they land on? _

The leader of AVALANCHE turned to the team. "I had hoped that the shadows wouldn't attack until Lex and Rinoa woke up, and as it is, we're shortchanged two members. So, we're going to have to use a slightly different plan than we've used in the past."

Marlene leaned in, and whispered in Kairi's ear. "Usually, they leave me and Puck at the ship to guard it and wait to see if Titania shows up, but seeing as Rinoa and Lex are sleeping, I dunno what she's gonna do."

Shera nodded at Kairi. "We'll leave Nakoma and her people here with Lex and Rinoa. They're a kind of gargoyle, guardians who sleep in stone," she added to the native woman. "We'll take the rest of us and try to find the Guardian Soul."

Barrett looked disgruntled. "I don' think Marley's ready fo' this kinda stuff."

His daughter grimaced. "Dad, _grow up_. I know how to take care of myself. Come _on_ now. Kairi's my age and she's some kind of freaking holy mission, so you can _at least_ let me come with you."

Barrett was unconvinced. Kairi coughed lightly. "Well, I mean, look on the bright side, _Uncle_ Barrett. This way, you can keep an eye on Marle and me."

Rufus grinned at the girl, and clapped the big man on the shoulder. "Lighten up, old chap. If you need any help looking after your child…"

That changed Barrett's mind. He grunted. "Marley, baby, stick wi' me. An' you too, Kairi. Ol' Barrett don' need nobody's help takin' care of me or my own."

Kairi stifled a giggle. Nakoma looked to Shera in an approving manner. "I am not accustomed to a woman leading warriors," the woman said uncertainly. But then she smiled, showing off small, pearly teeth. "But then, I should not be surprised that a woman could have such strength, knowing Pocahontas as I do."

Puck's sizable ears perked up. He floated at eye-level with Nakoma and raised a white eyebrow. "Pocahontas, you say? Who might this_ Pocahontas _be, persay?"

Nakoma blinked. "She is the daughter of our chief," she said, " Pocahontas is the strongest, bravest, most spirited of our people."

Suddenly, game show noises sounded, and Puck was holding a megaphone. "Bingo, bingo, bingo," he blared, "We _have_ a winnah!"

Tifa grabbed the fae by the hair. "What are you blathering about?" she asked irritably, but there was a twinkle in her crimson eyes. Puck snatched his hair from her grasp and turned upside-down. "This _Pocahontas_ is the soul we're trying to save," Puck explained slowly, as if he were talking to someone who was either very young or very slow.

"Are you sure?" Shera asked. Puck nodded. "Getting' some pretty strong vibes here, doll. Kinda like the vibes I get every time I see you, hot stuff."

Kairi rolled her eyes. Typical Puck. Shera took no notice of the fae and instead spoke to Nakoma. "Take your people on our ship. Don't worry, it's safe, and Lex and Rinoa will wake from their stone sleep at nightfall. We have to save your world, and if we don't come back in a few days, obey Lex's order, and he'll take you to safety."

Nakoma nodded. She didn't understand everything that was going on, but she could feel that these strangers were truthful. As she herded the elders and children on board the English-looking ship, she desperately prayed that they could save the land she loved.

Shera moved the team in the opposite direction and turned to Puck. "All right then, twit, try to get a lock on Pocahontas."

The fae smirked. "No sooner said than done, folks." His eyes glowed a bright green and the fairy began to spin rapidly. Kairi watched, concerned, and looked to Tifa, who was standing next to her. "Is he okay?"

Tifa nodded. "He just does this for show. I've seen him locate a Soul with nothing more than a blink. He's a ham, that one."

Rufus heard Tifa's comment, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now, now, Teef," he gently admonished, eyes dancing. "You have to appreciate all the work he puts into the presentation."

Tifa rolled her eyes, much like Kairi had done only seconds earlier, but grinned anyway. Puck suddenly shot upwards like an arrow. "Attention, ladeez and germs, one Guardian Soul this-a-way!"

He started to fly off, but Barrett took him by his bobbing heel. "Hold on now, punk. You gotta show us!"

The fae groaned. "This would be _so_ much easier if you could all _fly_."

…

Kairi followed Puck in silence, not daring to meet Shera's eyes. The information she was holding inside was killing her._ What am I supposed to do? I wish Cid were here. Then I could ask him for advice. What am I saying? If Cid were here than I wouldn't be in this situation to begin with!_

Puck led them through a thick forest for what seemed like forever. Every second Kairi was positive that a gigantic shadow was going to jump out and eat all of them. _So much for being a hero…_

After what Kairi figured had to be the better part of an hour, the fae slowed. They came out of the woods to find themselves face-to-face with a shallow river. In the middle of the river was a tiny island, dominated by a massive willow tree. Sitting under the branches rather dejectedly was a young man with russet hair, fanning himself with a floppy hat. A young woman with jet-black hair was crouching at the base of the tree, talking to herself. Puck zoomed over, and the young man jumped to his feet, raising an iron pistol. Puck froze, and Shera cried out, "No! Don't shoot!"

Kairi wondered what was up. Puck had jumped into battle against shadows without hesitation; why was he so bothered with one human with a gun?

"Marle, what's going on?"

Barrett's daughter answered, "Puck's a fae. Iron can kill 'em."

_Iron?_ Kairi wondered. _Well, that's random. But I guess it's good to know nobody is invincible._

The man hadn't fired, but neither had he lowered his weapon. "Who are you?"

"We're here to save Pocahontas," Shera answered. "We're called AVALANCHE. We just saved Nakoma and the children of her people, and we need to see Pocahontas. You have no idea how important this is."

"Yeaaah, and while you're at it," Puck added, "You just might want to lower that ugly iron death-spewing lump in your hand. It's making me a tad bit antsy."

The man lowered his gun, and the team waded through the shallow water. Kairi gasped. The water was _cold_. Tifa noticed her discomfort and laughed. _Don't know what she finds so funny, _Kairi grumbled to herself. _She can't be too comfortable either. Her skirt's **way** shorter than mine. _

They reached the small island and the man cautiously approached. Shera held out her hand broadly. Thomas looked at it, and then shook it hesitantly. _Who is this crazy woman, and why is she wearing breeches like a boy?_ He thought. "My name is Thomas," he stuttered. Shera smiled. "I'm Shera."

"And I am Pocahontas." The young woman stood up. Pocahontas observed them proudly, and Kairi had no doubt that this was the soul they were searching for.

She and Shera greeted each other as equals. "Pocahontas," the former said, "We are here to save you, and in extension, to save your world."

Pocahontas nodded gravely. "My Elder foretold your coming, and Grandmother Willow has been explaining my role as…the soul of this world?"

"That sounds a bit right," came a gravelly old voice from the tree's base. No, wait, the tree itself was talking. Sure enough, Kairi could make out a face in the rough bark of the willow, presumably Grandmother Willow.

Shera nodded to the speaker, as if she saw talking trees every day. "That makes our job a bit easier. Pocahontas, usually how this works is that we would bring you back to our ship and the elf, Puck, would try to unlock your hidden powers before the darkness find us. However, Puck's already here, so I see no need to go anywhere."

"But I doo…" Puck chuckled, and ducked before anyone could bop him upside the head. Shera sighed. "I'm really sorry to do this to you, Pocahontas," she said, "But you and Puck need to be alone for him to concentrate. If he tries anything, just hit him; he'll be fine."

Pocahontas looked a bit confused as to Shera's meaning, but seemed to accept the order. She and Puck meandered over behind the tree, on the other side of the island. Barrett sat down heavily next to Thomas.

"So, what be up wichoo?"

The young man wrinkled his nose at Barrett's informal language, yet he still appeared to get the drift of what the big man was saying.

"Shadows."

Barrett hmmmed in understanding. Kairi looked at Marlene. "What now?"

"Now? Now we wait."

…

After half an hour they had all grown tiresome of charades, except Rude, it seemed, and Rufus turned to Kairi. "Come on, tell us about some of your adventures, oh Princess of Heart."

Tifa grinned, saying, "Yeah. We've heard all of our stories a million times."

Kairi looked at Shera, and gulped. Steeling herself, she took the plunge. "Well, after I was rescued from the Heartless by the Keyblade Master, Sora, I spent time in a place called Traverse Town while Sora defeated Ansem. I stayed with a guy there who was cranky and crabby and had a bad mouth, but he took care of me. His name was Cid, guys. Cid Highwind."

Jaws dropped. Tifa cried, "What? You mean he's still _alive_?" Barrett looked at Kairi a bit accusingly, as if he was saying, _"An' you didn't tell me?"_ Marle didn't seem to know what was going on, and Rude whispered something in Rufus's ear, at which he nodded quickly.

Shera seemed to be in shock, but there was a tear welling in her eye. "You mean…you know him?"

Kairi nodded. "I didn't know how to tell all of you, and I'm sorry for that."

Shera shook her head. "No, it's all right. The important thing is that he's alive. He's…alive. Cid…"

Kairi smiled, as did most of the team. "We'll let you two talk," Barrett said, ushering everyone, including Thomas, away. Kairi sat down next to Shera. The woman showed a watery smile. "I loved him, Kairi, I don't think you knew that. I still love him. And to know…he's alive somewhere out there, and all I need is to find him…" her face suddenly paled. "He's not…I mean, he hasn't…"

Kairi understood. "Don't worry, Shera. He's…well, he's…" _Every bit as miserable as you are? No, I really could rephrase that…_

"He's sad. Like he's missing a part of his heart. I think it's you. And he's still angry too."

Shera chuckled through her tears. "Well, he always did know how to hold a grudge."

She became more serious. "Tell me about him, Kairi. I want to know everything."

_Gee, where do I start?_

The girl began by telling her the story of how Cid and Sora met, as related to her by the Keyblade Master. Shera laughed appreciatively to hear that Sora had referred to the man as "Gramps."

Then Kairi told her how she had met Cid when she and Sora went back to Traverse Town after he saved her from Ansem in Riku's body.

"_Hey, Cid!" Sora waved frantically while running up the cobbled steps, dragging Kairi with him. She saw a man in his thirties standing in front of them, arms folded._

"_Well, if it ain't the big hero. Good ta see ya, Sora. Heard about that whole deal at the Bastion from Leon, but I didn't expect ta see you back here."_

"_Yeah, about that…Cid, we didn't exactly mean to get back here. Something's wrong with the gummi."_

_The man snorted. "Ya mean ya broke it, right? Stupid rookies, can't even take care of their own ships!"_

_Sora pouted, and Kairi wondered what that man's problem was. "Ci-id, I didn't do anything to it," Sora whined. The man was unimpressed, but he relented when Sora's puppy-dog eyes filled with fake tears._

"_Fine, I'll take a look at it. Now, ain'tcha gonna introduce me to yer friend?"_

_Sora face-faulted. "Oh, yeah. Kairi, this is Cid. Cid, this is Kairi."_

"_The one you were lookin' for, huh?" Cid smiled gruffly around the toothpick in his mouth, and extended a calloused hand. "Pleased ta meetcha, Kairi."_

_Kairi smiled nervously and shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you too."_

Shera smiled. "Cid was always very passionate about gummi ships, and not very forgiving when people make mistakes."

Kairi giggled. "I thought he was going to be awful and I didn't want Sora to leave me alone with him, but he did. I was a little bit scared of him until one night…"

"_See you later, Mr. Geppetto; bye, Pinocchio," Kairi said, walking out of the tiny shop. The old man and his…son waved goodbye. They were nice, and welcomed her in their company as one of Sora's friends. Kairi had made a visit that day and was walking back to the house in the Third District to make dinner._

_She opened the grand door and skipped into the Third District._

_Right into a mob of Heartless._

_Kairi let out a scream as they clustered around, trying to steal her heart. She kicked out, trying to fight back, but they were too many. She screamed again, and felt herself going under. **I'm gonna die,** she thought, **and I'll never see Sora again…please, somebody-**_

"_Hold on, kid!"_

_Kairi struggled to get her head up, and saw Cid leaping into the fray with a gigantic spear in his hand. He went through, wiping out Heartless with smooth sweeps. When he had finished, there was munny scattered all over the ground. He reached down a hand to help her up. _

"_You okay?"_

_Kairi looked up into his concerned, weather-beaten face, and nodded. Cid grinned lazily. "Good," he said. "Sora would be none too pleased to come back here and find out I let his girlfriend become Heartless dinner. Humph, little bastard would probably try to chase me down with that f$$# Keyblade he's always toting around."_

_Kairi took the proffered hand and stood shakily. She smiled at Cid. "Thanks."_

"_Chh…whatever. Yer welcome. I'm hungry, go cook some food."_

_Kairi giggled as she went inside to put the teakettle on. For a grizzly bear, Cid wasn't so bad._

Shera smiled after hearing this, a bit sadder this time. "He always was a hero."

"Still is," Kairi reminded her.

"But.. so much has changed, I mean, I'm different, he's different; it could never work out. It's been ten years."

Kairi sighed. "He's sad. He told me he'd only been in love once, a long time ago, and I know he still loves you. All we have to do is get to Traverse Town, where he is."

Shera looked hopeful. "He told you he was in love?"

Kairi proceeded to tell her that story, along with many others. The woman and the girl sat for hours, talking about a mutual acquaintance that each one held close to her heart.

….

A/N: Wow. This was long. And took me a while. But review, review, review! Any people you want to see, through flashback or anything else? Lemme know.


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